Give Up The Wait: Life is Now

Hello everybody and welcome to The V Spot. I'm your host, Andrea Mancuso, founder and CEO of Intentional Healing and Wellness. I created this podcast because I believe vulnerability is our true superpower, and I want to promote a safe space where we can come together and engage in conscious and courageous conversations to encourage individual and collective healing. In the V Spot, we will choose courage over comfort as we speak our truth and pave the way for others to do the same. For each episode, we will unite in empathy and embrace our superpower as we spend quality time together here in the V Spot. Thank you for tuning in. Hello everyone and welcome to the V Spot.. For many reasons, I'm excited to share the space with today's special guest. He is the host of the Life Is Now podcast and CEO of Flava DJs, also known as DJ MDW. Michael Crespo is recognized as a music and motivational coach who is committed to bringing people together and creating community. Mike, thank you for joining me in the V Thank you, and good morning. Good morning, good morning. You know, Mike, as I said, I'm excited to have you here for many reasons, but I want to start by highlighting one. You know, you are the first person that I knew personally to start a podcast. So, you know, I remember being like in awe of the way in which you opted to use your voice and jump into the spontaneity involved in podcasting. And I'm curious if you could tell us a bit about your inspiration and vision for launching the Life Is Now podcast a couple of years back.

Well, my vision started when I was doing personal development, which you was a part of, LT142 Momentum Education. And I remember Christina Lanzano was my, my coach at that time. We had to create an exercise where we had to go out publicly and connect with people. I was being coached by Christina Lanzano, and I remember some day one of the leaders asked me, one of the coaches asked me, what have you ever done for your community? And I'm not embarrassed to say that I had said absolutely nothing. I was running 5 years ago selfish, and I wasn't thinking of that. But in the moment of connecting with the homeless people at Penn Station, Times Square, there was a gentleman where I handed over him $10 and so many hundreds of people were just walking by and he said, excuse me, sir. I said, what is your name? He said, my name is Steven. I said, hi, my name is Mike. He says, I don't want your $10. I was like, why? He's like, you see all these hundreds of people walking by me. No one stops to say hello. And I appreciate that you stopped to tell me your name and say good morning and hello. And in that moment I realized, wow, this person is just looking to connect to someone while he's being disregarded by so many people. And in that moment I said I wanted to use my voice for the voiceless and I wanted to make a difference and I didn't know what that meant. And at that time I even asked my coach, would you be my partner on this podcast? And she had told me yes and I didn't believe her and I just let it go and then And like a month later, she asked me, what's going on with the podcast? I didn't think you were serious. And we, I launched it and so much has changed for me in my life. Here we are 5 years later. I met you in the process and I've seen you from who you were before and who you are now, what you was doing before, what you thought wasn't possible to what is possible. And when you said to me, I'm launching a podcast and you were asking me for advice, I was like, what? And, and every time I said something to you, you nailed it and you accomplished it and you did it. And I'm so inspired by the V Spot. I am so inspired by you and I'm grateful for our connection, our journey. Everything happens for a reason. And here I am now on the V Spot, which is my honor. And I'm so emotional as I speak in this moment because I seen you break through all adversity. And, and that is how I started the Life Is Now podcast.

Thank you. Well, first of all, thanks so much. There's so many different things that you said within that chair that I am, you know, grateful for and want to highlight. So in this particular moment, let's, in the honor of starting with what you just said and moving backwards, you know, I was going to— you went right into it, but I was going to actually put myself on blast and say to you, you know, Mike, if— when I was a huge fan of the Life Is Now podcast, you know, when you first launched it, and we talked about that, joked about it at the time. But it's, you know, I meant it and was serious. And I was going to say, if I told you back then that someday I would be inviting you to join me on my podcast, what would you have said?

Not possible. Not possible because Andrea was the shy person, was the person that didn't want to open her heart and didn't want to be seen when everybody saw you. And I kept seeing you for who you were. And I, must apologize because within the group that we were in, um, we never really connected that way, but I always heard you and I was always a part of you. But when we graduated, you shown up so big and I was like, wow, at the end of this journey, Andrea has been the one to stay and be connected and grow and do personal development. And you've done so much that I was like Wow, the one I least expected broke through all barriers. And this is on a personal level for me, seeing your journey for the past 5 years. And when Facebook showed up, 5 years friendship, Andrea Mancuso, I was like, 5 years went by just like that.

Wow. Yeah, listen, right? So I guess we can say it's safe to say that people can change. Right? Because I think that if, if you were to base that— your words on what you thought of me 5 years ago, um, and where we are now, a lot has changed. A lot has changed. So, you know, I, I just— I was going to, uh— I felt like in the name of, um, emotional exposure, it was warranted to highlight the fact that 5 years ago you would have definitely thought in terms of, you know, me having a podcast and inviting you to be present. Um, but, but nonetheless, here we are. And I wanted to circle back to— and we'll go in a bit, go to personal development— but I wanted to circle back to what you said pertaining to, uh, community. And the question gets asked, what have you done for community? Your answer at the time is nothing. And I'm, and I'm called to just ask you in this moment if you can share how long you've been DJing. How long have you been a DJ?

I've been DJing since the age of 15, since I was 15 years old. But now that I've been through life and the journey, I realized that DJing was my escape. DJing was a way for me to get away from my mother's negativity, from my mother being a Debbie Downer. And every time I would do something, why are you doing it? Why don't you get a life? And this is my mom talking to me. And while the world is whirling, I was escaping playing music and I was always connected to music and it made me feel happy. So no matter what went on in my life, music to me has become my medicine. And that's how I became a DJ and I started doing block parties and I started producing music. But it has always been an escape. And that's why when I started personal development, it was I was using DJing as a way to hide who I was, 'cause I can be this amazing, crazy guy in front of 4,000 people, but I couldn't speak in front of 10 people because I was hiding who I really was. Because as a DJ, you tend to be somebody you're not because you need to show the world, I'm bigger, I have this and I have that, and this is why I'm so happy. And then I discovered that all of that was not true. And 4 years ago, I discovered being authentically who I am and being yourself is what makes people connect with you and love you. And that was my journey.

Yeah, and I, you know, I love that. And I love what you said about music being your medicine because I absolutely agree with that on a personal note. And I also, you know, believe that the DJ is the life of the party, right? They, they, uh, although they they may not be out in the midst of the party, they are the ones who are orchestrating the party. And so the reason I asked you that question is because while you pointed out that you have not done anything for community, I wanted to highlight how long you have been orchestrating parties and providing the experience for people. And so sometimes how we show up and are in service isn't exactly, um, what we think it might look like, but nonetheless, we are in service. And so I, I didn't want that moment to pass without highlighting, you know, that particular point to you. So, um, up until The Life Is Now podcast, maybe it looked a little bit different, but you were absolutely in service to other people since your teenage years. So let's not let that pass. I love it.

I love that. Thank you for one second. Thank you. Because, wow, this is my aha moment. And you took it right back and you showed me from 15 to all the way now 50. It's been the same. And thank you for that aha moment.

Yeah, you're welcome. Thank you. Thank you. So, Mike, in this moment, I would love for you to reflect and think about What is one thing that you can say you've learned about yourself? And I'm sure there are plenty, but the first one that comes to your mind, what could you say that you've learned about yourself as a result of hosting The Life Is Now podcast?

To be myself. And I know it sounds cliché, but to be myself. I must tell you that whether it's DJing or having The Life Is Now podcast, this podcast platform allows you to just be yourself. Why? Because nobody sees you. You have no audience and you're speaking from your heart. And that journey for me has taught me to be myself because I once had an experience where a lady said, thank you for your podcast. You saved my life. I was in a toxic relationship, toxic marriage, and you showed me that I can have something more for my life. And I said to myself, wow, all because of what I said on a podcast. And, and that was just me being myself, speaking from my experience in my life. And sometimes when we share our stories like you've been doing here on the V Spot, we can actually save somebody else's life. And that was my journey of learning that I've become myself 100%.

I love that. Um, it makes me think about, you know, sometime in 2020, I did one of the Conscious Conversations that I hosted was entitled The Art of Being Yourself, and we talked about the different things that are needed, the different elements that are needed in terms of being yourself. And one of the things that I shared that I believe to be true about showing up as your authentic self is courage. And I think that when we show up, when we choose courage and show up, let's say in this conversation by way of podcast and share of ourselves in a way where we speak our truth, we are absolutely paving the way for other people to do the same. So I love that. You know, Mike, you and I are passionate about personal development work. You know, we speak about the power of transformation on a consistent basis. The work that's involved on a day-to-day, showing up when we, you know, may not want to, right? So I want to spotlight the fact that you're currently in the process of living through a major transformational journey. So I'm going to ask that in this moment we rewind the hands of time and take us back to February and March of this particular year. Tell us what was happening with your health How are you feeling and what did you choose to do about it?

Back in February, March, I decided to change my life and do something I've never done before to receive and get different results. I've been struggling with weight loss for, oof, probably since my 20s and I always gained the weight, lose the weight. And my best friend, Marisol, was doing also the weight, the sleeve weight loss surgery. And I told her, don't even do that. Like, are you kidding me? You're giving up on yourself. You're not gonna go to exercise. You're not gonna eat right. You're not gonna do the right thing. And I was really hard on her, but I trust her journey. So then I learned in my journey that That's not what it was. And I was struggling with, I don't want to do surgery. I even went to a seminar, learned about eating and the whole night, and I was like, I don't want to do that because I'm not putting in my part. And I didn't want to give up on myself, but I felt like I was a failure. So I decided, you know what, like what I learned in Momentum Education, let's just do something different to get different results, even if we don't know what it looks like. Was I nervous? Was I scared? I really was. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but all I knew is I needed to do something that was way beyond my control because I kept going up and down, up and down. And just like music, if we, then this podcast, there's something called the compressor. And what a compressor does, it compresses your vocals. So if you put it on threshold 8, it won't surpass it. So I figured if I get a tool, whenever I do want to eat more and do something wrong, it wouldn't allow me to. So then I made that change to do this. And I learned in the journey that I apologize to my best friend because this has been the best tool that I have ever done. And I've held myself accountable for it. I learned. The process of eating. I learned the process of how I was abusing my food. And I also learned how I always was going to food as a crutch. And not only me, but millions and millions of people, we are addicted to food, but we don't realize it because we use it as a tool to socialize. And you know what, it's my birthday, it's my anniversary, I'm gonna hang out with my friends at Momentum. So I'm gonna eat and I'm gonna drink, let's celebrate. And I learned that every time I was going to have an event, it was an excuse in my life to give me the reason to eat and to drink and to abuse my body. But that was just my experience.

Yeah, thank you. Thank you for sharing that. Um, yeah, I think it's so powerful that you highlighted like the emotional aspect of it because I was thinking that over the years I've talked to I've spoken to so many women, you know, about the emotions and the feelings that they've had pertaining to their weight, their body image, and then their decision to undergo bariatric surgery. And so I was curious to hear from your perspective what that emotional process, you know, looked like. And you just touched on it in terms of a couple of different elements, but is there anything else you want to highlight in terms of when you, in this moment, reflect to your weight, your body image, and then your decision to have the surgery? Is there anything that stands out pertaining to your emotional process?

Yeah, the biggest part that stands out is that this is not— this wasn't an easy thing, but it was more mental. Listen, to whoever's listening to this, this is more mental than anything else because Now that I have the surgery, I can still have milkshakes, hamburgers. I can eat anything I want. Snickers bar. I have to play the part and do my part in order to maintain healthy. So, uh, oof, I almost got emotional for a second. My first date with my fiancée, we went to a place and I said, I can't eat after the surgery. A couple of weeks after that,, but I wanted to go on a date and I said, I need to make sure that they have soup. And I called this, you know, the speakeasy place and they had soup, right? And then when I got there, they said, I'm sorry, sir, we don't make any soup. And I sat there and I was angry. My fiancée was eating. I was looking at people in a big, big magnifying glass. They were eating and drinking. Everything was in slow motion. And she's like, what's wrong? You look miserable. And I said, I'm not miserable, I just, there's nothing I can eat here. And I'm watching people eat and I want to eat and I can't eat. So the mental game was horrible and it took me a couple of months to really understand that process. And, and whether you get weight loss surgery or you, or you choose not to, and whoever's listening to, female, men, women. It's about how we are going to eat and move forward in life because the surgery does not, and I repeat it, it does not give you the tool to lose the weight. You have to put in the hard work. And I can compare this to your journey on this V-Spot. It took you for you to work on yourself the inside, not the outside, to really get to where you're at today. And I had a lot of searching to do inside in order to continue to make this successful. And that has been the hardest part. It has been the mental and not the physical.

That's— yeah, that's profound. And it makes me think about, um, earlier this year, February, I shared like a before and after photo, you know, of myself from February of 2011, you know, to now. And so there was like a 10-year difference and a 60-pound difference, basically. And one of the most profound parts of me sharing the photo was recognizing the emotions, the change. When I looked at the photograph, I, you know, yes, I see the difference from who I was physically in 2011 to who I am now, but that's not what actually stood out to me. What stood out to me is I saw the emotional pain in the, you know, before picture. And, you know, then looking at myself now, I was able to see, wow, like there's so much emotional processing and healing that has gone on. You know, so I love that you highlight the fact that it is certainly an emotional journey, you know, because I think that we could get caught up in diets and exercise and routines and what to eat, what not to eat, and all of that, and never look at what are the feelings that are underneath. So I love that you shine the light on that. And it actually sort of segues into the next thing that I was thinking about. You know, I am someone who has struggled with my body and my weight, my sense of self for as long as I can remember. That's actually one of the things I just talked about in the latest podcast episode. And I feel inclined to ask you, you know, to hear from, from the male perspective, have you ever experienced shame pertaining to your weight or your body? Is that something that has ever come up for you?

Oh, you just put goosebumps in my sleeve. Yeah, I will tell you, I just told this to my fiancée. She didn't even— she never knew this. I never went to a beach or a pool without a t-shirt, without a tank top. Never did it. Couldn't do it. I was like, I'm too fat, right? And I'm not going to do it. And I think maybe a couple of months ago in Florida, for the first time, I took off my shirt and went in the pool, but I was still thinking, oh my God, people are gonna look at me. And I'm saying, I lost the weight, but I still have the little tiny bit left. But then there was another guy telling me in the back of my head going, Michael, you just lost 100 pounds. Be proud of where you are now and stop worrying about what people think of you. And I will share this with you for the women that are listening. Sometimes women, they go to the beach and they wear a two-piece, and then you have men that may look at you and go, oh my God, how dare she? She looks so fat. She's like 280 pounds. Now this is what I'm gonna tell all the ladies that are listening. There is power in a woman or man wearing that kind of an outfit because you have so much self-love and value and respect for yourself that it doesn't matter what you look like. What matters is how you feel. And the person that has the problem is not the woman that's maybe overweight and wearing a bikini, but it's the person that is insulting you because that person most likely will not— when I say, hey, why don't you wear a bikini? Oh no, I can't, I'm too heavy. But we can insult the next person, the person that has the courage and loves themselves enough to wear that bikini. So what I'm saying to all you ladies is love yourself for where you are right now. And I will share this, um, because sometimes we say I need to lose 20 pounds before I get into this bikini, I need to lose 30 pounds, my fiancée, I'm not going to put on the seat, but she's like, I need to lose X amount of pounds before—

but you're gonna put her in the hot seat.

Yeah, I'm not gonna put her in the hot seat, but I'm gonna put her in the hot seat because, um, I, I want to release this weight before I, I get married. And my point is, let's be comfortable with who we are right now and love ourselves right now. And when we do release the weight we can still love ourselves because that's what this journey has taught me, that I didn't do it because I want to lose weight. I did it because I wanted to get off my blood pressure medicine. I did it because I wanted to feel better. I did it because I want to live longer in life. And once you love yourself, then it doesn't matter. And the stuff you were saying on your podcast about being authentically yourself, it is so true because at the end of the day, If I'm that person that is quirky and silly and I love personal development, and if one person may say, you know what, I think you're fooling yourself, Mike, then that person's not for me. So when you show up in life being who you are 100%, the universe will connect you with someone that loves that person, which is you, and not a fake version of yourself because you're trying to be somebody else.

I love that. And it, it makes me think, you know, one of my favorite coaches would often tell me to release the wait, W-A-I-T. And, you know, I, and I would always like look at him, you know, and he would— and it makes me think about what you just shared pertaining to, you know, waiting until you lose 20 pounds to get married, or waiting until before we allow ourselves the opportunity to experience joy, you know, or whatever it is that we are waiting for, you know, this call to action to release the wait, W-A-I-T. And oftentimes you will release the weight, W-E-I-G-H-T. And so for anybody who is listening and is waiting to experience happiness, waiting to experience a waiting to experience their lives in a particular way, give up the wait, W-A-I-T, drop it and jump into your life because as Mike says, life is now.

You know what's amazing before you move on? So again, 'cause my best friend Marisol has been such a tool in my life. She said this to me and I think it's important for women and men that are listening. Me. I was so ashamed of like being heavy and overweight and all that stuff. And she said to me, Mike, do you think people don't see you? Do you think people don't see who you are? They love you because of who you are, not because of your weight. And I kept thinking, I'm so fat. And she's like, well, people see you for that and they love you for who you are and not your weight. So if I can express this, it's just love yourself for who you are. Because we think, I thought that people wasn't seeing me for being overweight, and I was. But she's like, Mike, stop being blinded. People love you for who you are. And I was like, wow, that was a golden nugget. Because I said, people don't see me. They're not telling me, hey, you're fat. But now it's the opposite. Now people are commenting me on what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. And then there's people that are showing up like, oh, he's full of himself, why he keeps boasting about himself. I'm not boasting about myself. I'm sharing my journey because this has been my journey, and hopefully my journey can help somebody in their process.

Yeah, it's, it's no mistake that, you know, a lot of what we're speaking about in this particular moment came up in a recent episode that I did called, uh, Wonderfully Made. And so, uh, if you have an opportunity, check out that particular episode of the V Spot, um, because it does speak directly to these points, you know, and this idea of body and being so much more than the physical, um, vehicle that we occupy. And, um, so yeah, I'm so happy that you said that. And, you know, I want to circle I want to circle back to something— well, two things. One, that you just— the power of what you just highlighted pertaining to, you know, being able to experience people on their journey, right? And I think that that's when we share of our individual story and struggle and overcoming and process and persistence and, you know, the highs, the lows, we're able to really be inspired by one another. So some may see it as boasting, others may see it as freedom, you know, and inspiration for where to begin their own journey. So, uh, again, whenever we're willing to be courageous enough to show up and share of ourselves, I, you know, applaud and say, you know, keep going, keep growing. Um, and I, you know, just to go back to one thing you said, and then we'll move forward, um, I was, I was going to ask the question of, from the female perspective, like, you know, there were so many things that I didn't do because of my weight, so many things I didn't wear, didn't wear tank tops, didn't— dreaded bathing suit days. And I was curious, you know, again, to ask the question of, from a male perspective, did that occur to you, you know, for you? And so you did share that there were things like t-shirts and things that you would ensure. But is there any other experiences that you could think of in this particular moment that you feel like you sat out of life because of the weight?

Yeah, this is something I probably never told anybody, but I love H&M. I love that clothing store. And every time I would go to that clothing— oh, every time I would go to that clothing store, they didn't have a size 3XL. I was like, are you kidding me? These shirts are amazing and they don't make a size for 3XL men or 2XL. And I was like, wow. So at that particular moment, there was this Adidas shirt that I held probably for like 9 years because I love those shirts, but I couldn't wear it because my stomach was shaped out and I was so embarrassed to wear it. And, and I was like, wow, I can't believe that a store would cater to only a certain type. And now I'm like, hey, I'm ready. I can go to H&M. Because from a 3XL, I'm a size large. And I'm like, and I'm like, wow. And, you know, also being overweight and, you know, from a male's perspective, your, your blood circulation goes down, your testosterone you may feel goes down, not being sexy goes down, not having energy goes down. And, uh, well, I'm not man enough. And I can't hold it down like this person. And all these things happen. And then sometimes, you know, you may not function sexually like you want to 100%, and it's not your fault. It's because we are unhealthy, because our blood circulation is so poor and our bodily functions don't work. And now that I'm on the other side, 100 pounds later, Oh my God, everything in my body is 100%, like if I'm 23 years old. And this happens to men and to women. And I'm sharing this because some men may not even share this, but that is the truth. Like, you are what you eat and our health is really all we have because without it, we can't do certain things. Then we can hide it 'cause I was big on taking 5-Hour Energy shots. I was big on Red Bull. I was big on being this guy full of energy. And my lady used to tell me, wow, you always have all this energy. I said, yeah, but I also took 5 naproxens to cure my pain. I would never complain, and I would take, um, Red Bull. She goes, but you never told me because I didn't want it to affect our experience when we're hanging out or we're going on a date. And now I get to experience life without taking all that stuff with no medication, my energy is up and I feel great. And I must tell you, the picture you posted about yourself, it's not about the weight loss, ladies. It's about if you look at the face, there's a certain happiness that occurs based on because how we feel and not how we look. And when I look at your picture before and after, That's what I look at. It's like, wow, she looks much more relieved. She set herself free and she feels happier about the woman that she is today. And pictures say it all.

I love that. And I'm thinking two things. One, I am thinking about this idea pertaining to us being able to be a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time. Right? Because when I— you know, thank you for what you said about seeing the picture and recognizing, like, the emotion in the picture. And I think that as far as I've come and as much as I get to celebrate the masterpiece that I am, I also look forward to what I would like to create moving forward. And I'm learning that those two things could exist at the same time. You know, and, you know, I also want to shed light on what you spoke about about all of the different aspects, because I think that as women, we tend to think that we are the ones who feel certain ways pertaining to shame and body image and struggle and the way in which it shows up emotionally in all different, you know, areas of our life. And you just powerfully shine the light on the fact that, you know, men— you— men too experience it. And I think that it's important to note that we are so much more alike than we are different. You know, we— there are things that we share that are part of the human experience. They're not gender-specific. And I think that that's super powerful to highlight in this particular moment.

That is correct. There was one time I got hired to DJ in China. And again, I've never shared this publicly. And— When I was on the airplane going to China, you know, they have food. So they would come to me and remind you, I was the biggest person on this airplane, all this Asian, Chinese, of this whole different culture. And I was like 280 pounds, and I was looking at everybody like, wow, like everybody's really skinny. And they said, hey, you want something to eat? I said yes, and I was good. They came back 'You want some more?' I said, 'No.' Um, so because I was big, they felt they needed to feed me more. But what I learned in China is their portion sizes are like a teacup, and this is how they were eating rice, and this is how they were eating their food. I was raised to have a big plate— rice, beans, potato— like just large amounts. And I did feel like Wow, I'm the biggest person here. I was kind of like embarrassed within myself. And I was like, there's not one soul on this airplane that is big like me. And that was me having my self-talk, even though people were still, you know, loving me. But I got to see the culture on how they eat and why they were doing things. And it was a game changer for me. Even, you know, aside from weight loss, when I was in China, I would see people wearing masks and I was like, what the hell are these people doing? Why are they wearing a mask? They're so silly. And here we are in 2021 watching everyone wear a mask. And I was like, so were they way ahead of everything and I was the silly one making fun of what they were doing? And here we are now living in this world where that's the irony, right?

The irony. What year was that, Mike? What year were you in China?

Um, it could have been about 10 years ago. And that was 10 years ago. That was a long time ago. And I was like, is it because it stinks? It smells like— what is this? And I didn't understand it. And I would see people pedaling on bikes, old all the women and their husbands and their children on bikes and wearing masks. And I was like, wow. I was like, oh my God. And here I am watching this, like, wow. And I saw a post on social media about Michael Jackson wearing a black mask. So was he crazy, uh, Wacko Jacko, or were we crazy for not understanding why he was wearing So this is why we can't judge people.

Yeah, listen, right? It's an opportunity to check into the judgment for sure. All right, Mike, so we're going to move into our final piece. I call it the Forwarding Four. So I will ask you 4 questions and you will answer quickly with the first thing that comes to your minds. So there's no right or wrong answer. Or it's just about going where you feel guided. Okay, you ready? Yeah. Okay, share a song you would play at a party where people from all over the world were coming together to celebrate collective healing.

I think it's, uh, by Sia. Um, I, I'm not sure if the name is The greatest— Sia has a song that is very inspiring and full of life. And that would be a song that I would pick. I can Google it and research the title. But there's a song that is so uplifting that she empowers people through that song. And it's not Chandelier, but it's one of the other ones.

Okay. All right. Sia. Number 2, what's something that you've learned about yourself during the pandemic?

What I've learned about myself during the pandemic is that I am the same person before the pandemic, after the pandemic. I'm connected to people. I love people. And while people have learned to connect during the pandemic, I've learned about myself that I have always been a connected person before and after.

All right, number 3. Name one area of your life where you are intentionally healing.

Self-love. Mm. Self-love because not 100%, you know, you know, and this was before the weight loss journey, right? I saw something on Oprah that if you love yourself, how come we abuse our bodies? If I love myself, how come I wasn't healthy? If I love myself, how come I let myself go? And I learned that every day. I'm learning what is self-love, and it's okay to speak about yourself and love yourself, because if you don't love yourself, how can we love anybody else? Absolutely.

That's a whole word. That's a whole podcast episode in itself. All right, all right, number 4. As a DJ, you are regularly shouting out other people. In the spirit of life is now and vulnerability, give yourself a special shout out in this moment and tell yourself exactly what you want and need to hear.

That you are the greatest, you are the best, Keep being who you are, Michael Crespo, because life is now. Because if we don't live for today, we will not live for tomorrow. So understand that you are the light, you are everything that is needed and wanted in this world, because you are yourself. I love you, Michael Crespo. And if I can touch— I just remembered Your first question, your first question. You know why I got emotional? Because you put me on the hot seat. I don't like to do that about myself because we struggle, men and women, with, oh, you're just boasting, you're talking crap about yourself. And sometimes we need to do that. That is powerful, this V-Spot. And I'm going back to your question number 1. Ladies, men, but I'm gonna hit this for the ladies. Um, the Sia record was called The Greatest. If you can do me a favor while you're on the V Spot, as soon as you tune, tune away from this episode, listen to that song The Greatest by Sia and live your greatest life.

I love it, I love it. I'm gonna listen when we get off the episode. Um, amazing, Mike. Thank you, thank you so much. Share with everybody where folks find you? What are you up to these days?

Uh, you can find me on The Life Is Now Podcast on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Podcasting, wherever you can find your favorite podcast. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram, Twitter under The Life Is Now Podcast. You can email me. You never feel alone. You're just one email connection from somebody. Life Is Now Podcast @gmail.com. What I'm currently working on as a DJ and as a host on the Life Is Now podcast, I'm looking to create a show that involves music. It may be on Facebook Live, Zoom, or Twitch TV under DJ MDW. And I want to find a solution for people that are going through things, whether it's anxiety, whether it's depression, whether it's lonely. I see social media struggling a lot with drama and toxic people. And instead of me saying that this person is disgusting and it's horrible and it's a pig, I want to find a solution to why someone became that way and be a support to other people. So it's going to be about using music to bring people forward, and that is my next move for the Life Is Now podcast and me myself as a DJ. And I have one question for you. Are you Italian?

I am half Italian, half Irish, half Italian.

Okay. And because you said something to me all the way in the beginning of this episode, and which was very powerful and I didn't forget. So I'm always that guy connected to a story, connected to a song or connected to a movie. So I am going to go back and end this episode with a Rocky quote when he finished fighting in Russia, when the whole world hated him, and then they began to love him at the end. If you can change, we can change. We can all change right here on the V Spot.

I love it. I love it. Thank you, Mike. Thank you for joining me today.

I'm grateful.

I'm looking forward to continuing the conversation offline. And everybody else, thank you for tuning in to this episode of The V Spot. To be continued. Thank you for spending quality time with me here in The V Spot. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe. Write a review, and tell a friend to tell a friend to meet us in the V Spot. To stay connected and in the loop about all special events, join the email list at www.intentionalhealingandwellness.com. You can also join the Intentional Healing and Wellness community on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I'll catch you soon.